


How to Adopt Your Local Supervillain

by FolkPunkDruid



Category: WordGirl (Cartoon)
Genre: Episode: s1e17a Two-Brains Forgets, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Lowkey hurt/comfort, Oh also wordgirl and tb are both trans, When i say hurt/comfort its like 2 paragraphs of hurt bc im soft, also theyre autistic and tb has adhd, basically just a "what if two-brains forgets went different", i totally didnt write my kinnie memories into a fic (i did)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27006745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FolkPunkDruid/pseuds/FolkPunkDruid
Summary: Dr. Steven "Two-Brains" Boxleitner doesn't really have many friends. Or family.At least, until he meets the Botsfords
Relationships: Dr. Two-Brains (WordGirl) & Becky Botsford | WordGirl, Dr. Two-Brains (WordGirl) & TJ Botsford, Dr. Two-Brains (WordGirl) & The Botsfords
Comments: 11
Kudos: 39





	How to Adopt Your Local Supervillain

**Author's Note:**

> im back on my bullshit writing for small fandoms lets GOOOO

Dr. Two-Brains hesitated on the Botsfords’ doorstep, nervously rubbing the material of his gloves between his fingers. Last week’s scheme to reveal Wordgirl’s secret identity to her parents hadn’t gone as planned. He never could have guessed how it played out.

The mad scientist had fully expected the girl’s parents to scream in terror, or cower in fear, or something. He was Doctor Two-Brains, damnit! Evil genius and supervillain, a threat to all the cheese in Fair City.

So why did they treat him so politely? They acted more like he was a family friend dropping by for an unexpected visit, not a supervillain inviting himself into their home and accusing their daughter of superheroics

They invited him to stay for dinner, for cheese’s sake! 

It was a nice dinner, though. 

And after he couldn’t reveal Becky Botsford’s extracurriculars, he’d stood up to leave and thanked them for the dinner. “Same time next week?” He’d asked, jokingly. 

He was still shocked they agreed at all, let alone so enthusiastically. And he was out the door with a container of leftovers pressed into his hands before he could say “I was being sarcastic”.

It was only once he was halfway back to the lair that he realised he could've pulled out the tablecloth, forcing her to reveal herself. Or smash the plates, in which case wasn’t a huge loss. Probably get him kicked out, though. No loss.

But they’d taken his joking comment seriously, and here he was on their doorstep the following Thursday evening, wearing his nicest labcoat, which is to say his labcoat with the least amount of scorch marks on it.

 _‘Take two’_ , he thought wryly to himself. This time, he’d manage to convince them. He was sure of it. 

Two-Brains took a deep calming breath through his nose, exhaled, and knocked on the door. He waited for a few moments, tense, before it opened with the squeal of well-used hinges. The boy - Jay? - stood in the threshold of the house, staring up at him before scowling. 

“Mom! WordGirl’s archnemesis is here!” He turned around, slamming the door shut. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it), Two-Brain’s foot had been wedged in the doorframe. The mad scientist yelped as the door was forcefully shut on his foot.

“TJ! Be nice to our guests!” The mother - Sarah? - scolded the boy. Ah, so his name was TJ. He idly wondered if it was short for Tim Junior, but the man didn’t seem the type to name his son after himself. Then again, he’d interacted with him for a total of fourty-eight minutes.

The mother of the family opened the door, looking at the man apologetically. “Sorry about him; he’s quite the fan of WordGirl’s!” She said, speaking in that proud, affectionate, but lowkey scolding tone that only parental figures could.

He stepped inside the house, wiping his shoes on the doormat. It wouldn’t do to dirty up his host’s nice clean floors by tracking in cheese crumbs and oil from his lair. Just because he was Evil didn’t mean he could do that to his hosts! “Oh, it’s no problem, really. She’s a good kid. Which actually brings me to my point from last week-”

~~~~~

So, that hadn’t gone as planned.

Once again, he’d talked for a while, trying to convince the Botsfords that their daughter was moonlighting as the town’s very own superhero. He’d even tried cracking a few real jokes! It was… nice. Nice to talk to people who weren’t his pet rats. But ultimately, they were unconvinced.

The homemade pizza was lovely, though. He had to ask for that stuffed crust base recipe.

So here he was, another week later, on their doorstep again. This was beginning to get ridiculous! 

This time, he’d decided to tuck his goggles into one of the many pockets in his labcoat, to look as presentable as possible. Just one of the benefits of such a garment! Not that his goggles didn’t add a certain je ne sais quoi, but they weren’t exactly what one would wear to a nice dinner party with friends.

Neither was a labcoat or huge rubber gloves, he supposed, but his labcoat was useful. Comforting. And if anyone wanted him to remove his gloves they’d have to take them from his cold, dead body. Sure they were big and kind of ridiculous, but he liked them! He’d forget to put them on when he was working with chemicals or parts sensitive to skin oils, or misplace them. Plus, even though he was hesitant at best (and openly hostile at worst) to admitting it, he didn’t like a lot of textures.

Hang on, when did he start thinking of the Botsfords as friends? They were more friendly acquaintances than anything. Two-Brains didn’t really ‘do’ friends. The closest he had was Chuck and WordGirl, and even then he and Chuck weren’t always on the same page, so to speak.

But before he could continue down that train of thought, it was violently derailed by the thudding of sneakers running and the subsequent door flying open wildly, narrowly avoiding slamming into his face. 

“Doctor Two-Brains!” It was that TJ kid. At least, he thought he was called TJ. Pretty sure.

The boy was. Surprisingly happy to see his idol’s nemesis on his doorstep.

 _‘Well,’_ He thought dryly, _‘It’s better than having my foot slammed in the door again.’_

“Kid, you can just call me Two-Brains. Or TB, if that’s easier. Or Dr. TB,” he listed off, drifting off into his thoughts before remembering he was talking to someone and grinning nervously.

“Are you gonna tell more stories about WordGirl?” The boy asked, blunt and to-the-point.

He cocked a white eyebrow. “What do you mean, ‘more’?” 

The boy pouted. “Last time you were here you talked a lot about WordGirl! Not just the superhero that everyone knows, but who she is as a person! I didn’t know you two got along! I thought you were always fighting?”

Two-Brains chuckled, stepping inside the house. “Not always! But even when we do, we still get along. Our banter is very fun! Oh, and I’m usually one of the few people who knows the words she’s using! You should see the way she glows when I compliment her on her vocabulary, I swear the girl has to fight back a smile every time. That actually reminds me of this one time she had to give a big speech, and she didn’t know what to write, so she came to me for help.”

The villain swore if human eyes could actually sparkle, TJ’s would have been right then. He grinned, pressing on with his story.

~~~~~

“-and then she asked if I could make estrogen, ‘just out of curiosity’. I still can’t believe she was so surprised when I offered to make her some when she was old enough to take it! I’m a supervillain, not a monster!”

The Botsford parents laughed goodnaturedly at his story. “You know, our Becky’s trans, too! Like WordGirl,” Tim commented, seeming to find the similarity funny.

Two-Brains shared a glance with the secret superhero sitting beside him. “Are they always this oblivious?” he muttered around a mouthful of lasagna. He was beginning to suspect that the Botsfords were making dishes with lots of cheese specifically for his Thursday night visits, in all honesty.

She rolled her eyes. “You get used to it. To be honest, I’m half waiting to see if they’ll figure it out. It’s kind of funny how often I mess up the whole ‘secret identity’ thing and they don’t pick up on it.” Two-Brains snorted at that.

“Well, that’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Reminds me of this one time a whole bunch of them happened! It was ridiculous. Broke out of prison the same day there was this huge cheese exhibit at the museum. It was actually quite a fascinating exhibit, but cheese is for eating, not admiring!” He gestured around animatedly as he talked, grinning when his companions laughed as he continued his story.

As Sally took over the conversation, asking after the children’s school days, Two-Brains trailed off into thought.

God, Becky was lucky to have such supportive parents as the Botsfords. His had never been supportive of his interest in science, or so accepting about his gender identity. They knew about it, and they tried, but not very hard. And they didn’t care much when they misgendered him, on accident or on purpose. But the Botsfords…

Their family was so full of love. He could see how much Tim loved and respected his wife, and how much Sally felt the same. How much they cared about their kids, and only wanted the best for them. They were all so open and warm. Even Becky had gotten more comfortable over the past few months with seeing him outside of her ‘day job’, so to speak. 

Honestly, Two-Brains wasn’t sure when he stopped using these get-togethers as an opportunity to reveal Becky’s secret and started just… Enjoying the company. He didn’t really stay in touch with his folks after leaving for college at 18 (Good riddance!), and spending time with the Botsfords was what he’d always imagined being part of a healthy family unit should be.

Huh. Maybe he really needed to get out more. He was just a family friend at best.

Sally Botsford frowned at his spaced-out silence, reaching a hand tentatively towards him and placing it comfortingly on his gloved one. “Two-Brains, dear? Are you okay?”

He jolted out of his reverie, blinking rapidly for a moment. “Yeah, just… Thinking.” He shrugged. They didn’t need to hear about his issues. Especially not the kids. “And you, uh… Don’t have to call me that. You can, but I also don’t mind Steven. That’s my name, y’know.”

The mother nodded. “Okay, Steven.”

Two-Brains could feel his chest swell with some emotion he couldn’t quite identify.

~~~~~

Thursdays were his days at the Botsfords’.

Dr. Two-Brains’ schedule was usually pretty flexible, what with having to plan around all the time he spent in prison. Not that’d he’d made as many visits, recently, come to think of it. Was he losing his touch?

But Thursdays were non-negotiable. They were the highlight of his week! He mentally kept track of the days in anticipation for the next evening of good food and good company. It was extra impressive because his sense of time was usually lacking at best, and nonexistent at worst. Recently, they’d even begun to break out board games and make a night of it. It was… Nice. More fun than he’d expected.

It was for this reason he was particularly upset to be sleeping off a migrane. He should be at the Botsfords for his weekly visit! Not in the fetal position on his old, beaten up couch, lights dimmed, the jagged claws of pain clenched around his brain(s). 

“Dr. Two-Brains?”

He winced and hissed at the sudden familiar and too-loud voice, rusted nails stabbing into his head at the sound. He hadn’t even noticed the heroine’s usual telltale swoosh of air through the haze of pain. “Shhh!”

“Oh. Sorry,” WordGirl apologized, much quieter this time. She paused as she took in his appearance. Or at least, he assumed that’s what she did. “Are you okay? You didn’t show up for game night or dinner, and you never refuse free cheese.”

The mad scientist waved off her concerns with a hand, not opening his eyes or looking up from his spot curled up on the couch. “I’ll be fine. Just, havin’ a migrane. Talk later?” He asked, hoping the promise of a later explanation would stave off the inquisitive superhero. 

There was a pause, before WordGirl answered. “Okay. Feel better soon,” she whispered, the air making the slightest of sounds as she slowly floated off, giving him the quiet he needed. 

Some time later that could have been minutes or hours, the ache in his head had dulled and faded away to a manageable level. Bored, and not at immediate risk of flaring back up, he’d been browsing through channels, finally settling on something to watch, when-

“Feeling better, doc?”

One would think, with Two-Brain’s above average hearing, he’d have been able to hear the rush of wind of the city’s own superheroine floating by several seconds before she spoke up. Unfortunately, she was being quiet in case he wasn’t better yet, so instead of noticing her in advance he shrieked at the sudden noise and jumped violently to the other end of the couch. The scientist winced as the action brought a stab of pain back to his head, bringing a gloved hand to gently rub at his temple with a sigh.

“WordGirl, please don’t sneak up on me like that! Ugh, gonna take a while to settle my brains back down,” he complained, overexaggerating his frustration.

“Sorry,” she said, seeming only somewhat apologetic. The doctor internally sighed to himself in relief at that. Good, he hadn’t been too harsh. Smart kid like her probably knew he was only complaining for the sake of it. He hoped.

The kid in question frowned in contemplation. “So, why couldn’t you make it to game night?”

He groaned, running a hand down his face in tired exasperation. “I get migraines. Something about the whole ‘Rat brain fused to my original human brain’ thing,” he waved his hands around for emphasis, gesturing at nothing in particular. “Doesn’t really, uh,” The doctor snapped his fingers repetitively, trying to think of the right word. 

WordGirl, usually so eager to supply the right word, was silent as she waited for him to find a way to describe his peculiarities. 

“It doesn’t… Mesh well together,” he finished lamely, interlocking his fingers to drive his point home. “I don’t entirely know. Might be a head trauma thing? I think. Point is, I have ‘em and it sucks,” he complained, sinking a little deeper into his cheese-patterned couch cushions.

“Oh.” The superheroine fidgeted for a moment. “That does suck.”

Two-Brains pointed a finger sternly at the girl. “Hey. Language,” he chided, a smile on the corners of his lips and in his eyes.

She giggled, gently slapping his hand away. “Hey, you said it first! If anything, I should be telling you to watch your mouth around a young, impressionable child,” the girl said, pressing a hand to her chest in mock offense at the idea. 

The doctor just grinned at her, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically. “And who says you’re impressionable?”

WordGirl burst into laughter at that, snorting a little. She calmed down, sighing as the mirth left her system and she gave a contented sigh. 

The warehouse was quiet for a moment before she gently perked up. “Oh! I brought you something!” The girl beamed, offering a clear plastic container full of vegetables and some cheesy dish he couldn’t quite identify. “You didn’t come to dinner, but mom already made you a plate, so I thought I’d bring it over.”

Two-Brains grinned, whiskers twitching in excitement at the prospect of cheese. “Oh thank you, kiddo! Make sure to tell Sally for me that she’s an angel,” he praised, mussing up her hair. Or he would have, had she not been wearing a helmet. Instead, she just made a noise of annoyance and unsuccessfully grabbed at his hand as he laughed. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell her,” she giggled, finally taking his hand off her head. “See you later! And, y’know, hope you feel better next week.”

He waved at her as she floated out the window. “Bye kid! See you on Saturday!” He grinned, teasing his next scheme.

If he were being honest, he thought as she took to the skies and left, there was a part of him that was touched by her concern. It was sweet of her to drop by and check on him, and even bring over leftovers. She was a good egg, that one. They all were, in that family.

~~~~~

Sally and Tim were busy.

Which was fine! Thursdays were their usual day, but if they were busy, they were busy. He did feel a bit left out, though. He enjoyed their family game nights!

So they’d asked him to babysit. They’d left some money behind to order pizza, and told him to help himself to whatever was in the fridge. So this Thursday was just him and the kids.

...Huh. Had they always called dinner and board games “family game night” and he was intruding on a family moment, or was it something they’d only started recently?

A familiar unfamiliar emotion filled his chest. He’d been feeling that a lot lately, but he still wasn’t sure what it meant. It was an odd, warm, buttery feeling, mixed with some sense of unease, or maybe longing. Or maybe he just had indigestion or something? 

The three of them were sitting in front of the TV, watching some kids’ show made to sell dolls to little girls. The young ones had insisted on it, though, and who was Two-Brains to argue? 

“So, let me get this right; Count Cloudy is trying to, what? Control the weather so it’s more rainy and stormy?”

TJ and Becky both nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Pretty Princess and Magic Pony usually end up stopping him, though,” added TJ.

He lightly scoffed, crossing his arms. “That’s ridiculous.”

Becky shot him a deadpan look, raising her eyebrow. “You build machines that turn various objects into cheese.”

“Touché.”

They continued watching, Two-Brains doing his damned best to pay attention to the plot. If this show was something the kids were interested in, then he was going to do his best to be interested in it too!

But the thought of the nickname for their regular meetups kept coming back to him. Was he disturbing their previously family-only nights? As many times as he shoved it out, the thought wormed its way back into his brains.

As soon as the ad break came on, he spoke up. “So… Family game nights, huh?”

TJ looked at him, confused. “Yeah? What about them?”

He chuckled nervously, stalling to mentally word his thoughts as eloquently as possible. “I... How long have you been having ‘family’ game nights?”

 _‘Damnit, too blunt. Ah, whatever. They know what I mean.’_ His train of thought paused. _‘...huh. Not used to that. Usually it’s just ‘I don’t care enough to try harder’.’_

“Oh, we’ve been having family game nights for years! They’re one of our household bonding activities,” explained Becky. 

“Oh.” Two-Brains replied eloquently. Rats, why did his chest twist like that? 

Damnit, he was attached, wasn’t he? He was attached to these damn oblivious fools, and he didn’t like the thought that they weren’t just as attached to him as he was

“We actually used to have them on Wednesdays! But we moved them when TJ’s baseball practice was on late.”

“Oh.” The mad scientist didn’t think he could feel any more downtrodden. Apparently, he was wrong. _‘So I am intruding. I’m taking up their valuable family time and ruining Thursdays for these kids who just want to spend time with their parents. Good to know! Never going to get that thought out of my head whenever I’m over now.’_

“Well, that and Mom and Dad wanted to include you in family game night,” TJ added, playing some game on a handheld during the ad break. “Not that me and Becky didn’t want you to be a part of them, just that it was their idea.”

“Becky and I,” Becky corrected. TJ stuck his tongue out at her.

Dr. Two-Brains’ train of thought, previously careening wildly over the tracks, suddenly braked so fast that if it weren’t a metaphorical train it would have been dangerous for the passengers. The feeling in his chest he’d been experiencing for the past two weeks swelled in a great surge.

Oh. It was love. The emotion he was almost drowning in was love.

It was the feeling of loving someone and being loved in return; of understanding and being understood back. And now that Two-Brains had had a taste of it, he never wanted to go back to dying of thirst again.

He… He was included. The Botsfords were actively including him in their family activities and put thought into the cheese-laden dishes they made for him every Thursday and didn’t judge him when he spoke too bluntly or too rudely, or for his stimming. Honestly, he was pretty sure everyone in this family was some form of neurodivergent. A family he was, apparently, now a member of.

“So, does this mean I’m uncle Two-Brains now?” He grinned lopsidedly, side-eyeing the pair.

And just when he thought he couldn’t be happier, TJ (his nephew?) cheered.


End file.
